Herald Blogs

On March 16, 2014, actress Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey and Queer As Folk) accepts the Voice For Equality award presented at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami by Equality Florida, the state's leading LGBT rights group.

Gless promises that marriage equality will come to Florida, with the hope that her lesbian granddaughter can someday marry in the Sunshine State.

BY JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TULSA, Okla. -- Oklahoma's gay marriage ban demeans same-sex couples and their children by signaling to the world that their relationships are secondary to traditional families, opponents of the state law say in a new legal filing.

The argument came in a 102-page document filed Monday on behalf of Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Bishop and Baldwin, who have been together for more than 15 years, are suing to be allowed to marry in Oklahoma.

Their attorneys argue in the filing that the ban "demeans and humiliates these couples and their children, conveying to them, to family, to friends, to neighbors, to classmates, to teachers, to colleagues, to employers, to officials, to governments, and to all the world that their relationships are unworthy and second-tier," the document stated.

The filing came in response to a brief filed last month by the Alliance Defending Freedom that said legalizing gay marriage would harm children, undermine society and make traditional marriages unstable.

U.S. District Judge Terence Kern ruled in January against Tulsa County Court Clerk Sally Howe Smith, whose office refused to grant Baldwin and Bishop a marriage license. In his ruling, Kern said Oklahoma, by enforcing the ban, violates the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause because it precludes same-sex couples from receiving an Oklahoma marriage license.

Jim Campbell, legal counsel for the ADF, said in a statement that the district court "sidestepped the real reasons for Oklahoma's definition of marriage."

"Rather than upholding the marriage amendment, the court endorsed the recently conceived notion that marriage is about special government recognition for adult relationships," Campbell said.

BIRTHDAY CAKE

TOMORROW NIGHT!

March 19th @ 7:00 PM

This wacky black comedy documents the increasingly hysteria-filled three days leading up to the first birthday party for the adopted daughter of hunky television star, Steven, and his quick-witted screenwriter husband, David. When friends and members of David’s highly dysfunctional family – some of whom have never accepted his “gay lifestyle” – show up for the celebration, the stage is set for a raucous but emotional family breakdown and perhaps a road to acceptance. The cast includes Lee Meriwether as his foul mouthed grandmother, Queer as Folk’s Peter Paige, and Make Me a Supermodel’s Ronnie Kroell, and Jane Badler, whose performance at the birthday party has to be seen to be believed.

I'm so excited to announce today SAVE Action PAC's second endorsement in the 2014 elections: Daniella Levine Cava for County Commission District 8!

It's not every day that a candidate like Daniella runs for office. She's an outspoken supporter of LGBT rights, and her record of involvement in the community means she has the know-how to keep Miami-Dade County moving forward. Daniella is exactly the type of leader we need sitting on our County Commission.

Commissioner Bell's action effectively killed that crucial proposal to ensure human rights for all. That's why I'm so excited that on August 26th, we'll have the opportunity to elect a leader like Daniella who will work not only protect our county's residents from discrimination, but also to advance all types of pro-equality proposals.

"As a life long advocate for equality and opportunity," Daniella told me, "I am honored by this endorsement. I will work hard in office to expand human rights and eliminate discrimination of all kinds."

What can you do to help Daniella win on August 26th? Join our efforts to support pro-equality candidates like Daniella in our all-inclusive 2014 kickoff event in South Dade on Saturday, March 29th! An army of volunteers will come together in District 8 communities to engage voters on LGBT issues and demonstrate the public's commitment to equality.

For more information on SAVE Action PAC's endorsements, the March 29th campaign kickoff, or to find out how to donate or volunteer, find SAVE online at savedade.org/2014. I hope to see you on Saturday the 29th!

Levine Cava's campaign also issued a news release on Tuesday, this time making reference to her lesbian daughter:

Daniella is a strong supporter of the LGBT community, having worked with SAVE since its inception, and other human rights groups, on several local and state campaigns for equality.

"I’m so proud to receive the endorsement of SAVE Action PAC, a powerful agent for change that works effectively to promote the rights of all,” Levine Cava said. “I strongly support the rights of all LGBT individuals. In addition, this issue is personal, a matter of family values. My daughter and her wife are not asking for special rights – just equal rights. With support of civil rights groups like SAVE, they and others will be able to love whom they choose without fear of discrimination. “